but wait. . .before you even think of playing tourist,you must make your way to the Tucson Visitor Center

the Savings Passport Book for $18. . .lots and lots of 2 for 1 deals in here. . .I’ll tell you more about it as we go along. . .

Found out about it from someone on TripAdvisor,my favorite #1 place to go for all things touristy. . .yaaa!

Saguaro cactus as far as the eye could see on our first adventure

at Saguaro National Park

first stop.. .the Red Hills Visitor Center, where this beautiful vista awaits from the back veranda. . .we show our America the Beautiful Pass which we purchase annually for $80. . .but hey. . .this was our last year to pay full price. . .after August, Dave will be an old timer. . .and we get the $10 Senior Deal. . .woo hooo!

we head out to drive the Scenic Loop. . .

take a hike.. .

and enjoy the beautiful scenery looking out over the Sonoran Desert. . .this view is looking towards Mexico, approximately 80 miles away. . .

after enjoying our lunch of tuna salad, crackers, lemonade and tea, sitting in the car in the parking lot (it was chilly, even with the sun shining)we headed off to our next adventure, where the saving begins from our Passport Book. . .

while touting itself as a zoo, botanical garden, nature center, aviaries and various other venues,including restaurants, gift shops, and even a art gallery. . .what it really feels like is a nice long hike on a really great hiking trail,with many, many areas of entertainment. . .a very enjoyable way to spend several hours. . .and if you are bringing children to Tucson. . .almost a requirement. . .

the “zoo” portion of the park was delightful. . .I mean seriously. . .would you ever, in your life, want to be close enoughto get this great a pic of a mountain lion? I don’t think so. . .

There are several other pics of various other Sonoran Desert Wildlifeavailable for your viewing pleasure in the album following if you so choose. . .

we saw what I believe to be a Gila Woodpecker, which build their nest in the cactus. . .the woodpeckers were not part of the zoo. . .they just happened to be in the area, and Dave was able to capture this really great shot. . .

for better viewing of the Birds in Flight. . .come here. . .to the Habitats for Small Cats. . .and either find you some seating on the veranda,or go upstairs, and watch from the overlook. . .much less crowded, and you are up on level to where the birds are actually flying, and doing their acrobatics. . .

It was hard to follow the flight paths from where we werestanding in the Birds of Prey viewing area. . .

there were quite a few people at the Museum today. . .but other than the crowd at the Birds of Prey. . .at no other time did it seem crowded or congested. . .really well laid out, with something for everyone. . .